Big 12 Conference Commissioner Labels Notre Dame Remarks After CFP Omission as ‘Totally Out of Bounds’
At a strong rebuke, Brett Yormark declared that Notre Dame's athletic director, Pete Bevacqua, was “entirely out of bounds” for recent comments about the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Source of the Controversy
Notre Dame has a gridiron scheduling agreement with the ACC and is a participating member in all other sports. Bevacqua has argued that the ACC actively damaged Notre Dame’s chances to make the College Football Playoff, instead advocating for the selection of the University of Miami.
“The ACC does wonderful things for Notre Dame, but we provide substantial football value to the ACC, and we couldn't comprehend why you would go out of your way to try to hurt us in this procedure,” Bevacqua stated.
The Hurricanes ultimately secured the CFP invitation over Notre Dame, largely due to winning the head-to-head contest between the two schools. Notre Dame's AD also claimed that the ACC engaged in a targeted social media push over multiple weeks demonstrating its support for Miami.
An Egregious Rebuke
Later on Tuesday, Yormark responded to the allegations at the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum.
“My opinion is that his conduct has been unacceptable,” the commissioner stated. “He is completely out of bounds in his method and if he was in the room, I’d say to him the same thing.”
The response is especially notable given Bevacqua’s unique role. He sits on the College Football Playoff Management Committee alongside the ten FBS conference commissioners, advocating for the interests of football independent Notre Dame.
Past Support and Future Rumors
The commissioner also highlighted the assistance the ACC gave Notre Dame in the pandemic-disrupted 2020 season, providing the Irish a complete conference schedule and a berth in its title game.
“His behavior has been egregious,” he said again. “It’s been unacceptable attacking Jim Phillips, when they saved Notre Dame during Covid...”
Talk had circulated about Notre Dame potentially splitting with the ACC and aligning with the Big 12. However, Yormark's pointed comments on Tuesday appear to make such a move highly improbable in the near term.
Notre Dame, who made the CFP final last season, have indicated they plan to decline a postseason invitation after failing to qualify this season.